Boston Baked Beans

At one time Boston Baked Beans were popular throughout New England as a winter survival food – a nutrient and protein-rich pantry item that could be stored throughout the cold months. Refrigeration has obviously changed things a bit, and we’re no longer living on beans all winter, but it’s good to keep tradition alive.

It’s also good to not constantly import produce and things from halfway around the world when what we need is right here in our own region. The beans for this post were grown locally by Baer’s Best Beans.

Thankfully, Boston Baked Beans is one of those dishes that actually does seem to get passed on through generations and, even more thankfully, not much has gotten lost in translation. You don’t often see Baked Beans getting a contemporary makeover. For the most part it’s always consisted of the same few ingredients: molasses, bacon or salt pork and small white beans, which absorb the molasses, turning them a golden brown. Salem, Massachusetts, more so than Boston, had a booming spice trade in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, so it’s not difficult to imagine someone tossing a clove or allspice berry into the pot at some point.

I learned to make Boston Baked Beans from my mother. (Thanks mom!) Having seen and tried all the regular players for this dish, the following recipe is a formula using all of the components that I like to see in a Baked Bean. Also, I don’t like having odd chunks of things floating around in my Baked Bean, so I like to grate the onion rather than chopping it, which allows the onion to impart its flavor without keeping too much of a physical presence in the dish. Just the right amount of liquid thickens in the pot without becoming soupy. The result is a good blend of savory from the bacon, onion and mustard, sweet from the molasses and brown sugar, and tang from the allspice, clove and ginger.

Boston Baked Beans - makes 10 servings

1 lb white beans, such as yellow eye or great northern
1/2 lb bacon – cut into 1″x1/4″ strips
1/4 C grated yellow onion
2 T tomato paste
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C molasses
1/2 t dry ground mustard
1 t dry ground ginger
2 t cloves, ground
5 allspice berries, ground
1/2 t salt
3 C warm water

Start by soaking the beans overnight in a large stock pot. Drain and rinse.

Cover the beans with fresh water and bring to a simmer – do not boil. Cover and continue to simmer fo 30 minutes. Drain, reserving 3 cups of the liquid. Transfer the beans into an oven-safe casserole dish with a cover.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Cook the bacon in a large saute pan or deep skillet on low to medium heat until just cooked. Add the onion and incorporate into the bacon fat. Continue to cook on low 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add the tomato paste, molasses, brown sugar, spices, salt and water. Stir to blend. Pour the mixture over the beans and gently stir to combine.

Cover and bake 2 hours. Remove cover and bake for 1 additional hour.

Enjoy with a nice crusty bread or a toast points and a salad.

Ingredient origins: Yellow eye beans – Massachusetts; Nitrate free bacon – unknown; Organic onion – California; Tomato paste – unknown; Brown sugar – Florida; Molasses – New Jersey; Mustard – unknown, Clove – India; Allspice – India

Roasted Pumpkin and White Bean Soup with Cornbread

This dish is inspired by the Three Sisters, a term referring to the farming practice of companion planting, which was employed by the Native Americans of the Northeastern United States to grow maize, beans and squash. The three plants were grown in a mound in order to allow for optimal nutrient distribution to the plants and soil – the bean plant produces nitrogen in the soil which the corn needs to grow. The practice also provides an ideal physical structure – the bean vines climb the corn stalk and the large squash leaves provide ground cover which keeps the soil moist and the weeds at bay, so everyone wins.

Roasting the pumpkin before adding it to the soup adds a richness of flavor as the juices condense. For cornbread, I like using corn flour in place of corn meal for a smoother crumb. When I taught colonial cooking, we used a cast iron dutch oven to bake cornbread over an open flame as colonial settlers would have done. The result is a more moist and dense texture than cornbread baked uncovered.

Roasted Pumpkin and White Bean Soup – makes 6-8 servings

1 C dry Great Northern beans
1 t +1 t dried rosemary
1 t salt
1 sugar pumpkin, seeded and roasted (instructions below)
1 T butter, melted
1/2 C red onion, chopped
2 C vegetable or chicken stock
Salt to taste

Start out by soaking the beans overnight.

Drain the water and refill the pot halfway with fresh water. Add the rosemary and salt to the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, cut pumpkin in half. Remove the guts, reserving the seeds to make Roasted Pumpkin Seeds on another day. Brush with butter and place in a deep covered casserole dish or dutch oven. Cover and roast at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove pumpkin from casserole and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Brush again with butter, increase heat to 450 and roast uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. This is to bring out the sweetness. Be careful not to let the pumpkin dry out.

Remove the pumpkin from the oven and brush again with butter to prevent too much water from escaping as it cools. Allow to cool enough to handle without burning your delicate little hands. Scoop the flesh from the pumpkin halves and discard the skin.

Drain the beans. It’s okay if some of the rosemary escapes with the water, it was intended to flavor the beans as they simmered.

Melt the butter in the stockpot. Add the additional teaspoon of dried rosemary and onion. Allow to soften. Add the pumpkin and chicken stock and bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Puree the pumpkin mixture in the blender until smooth. Combine with the beans, season to taste and serve with the cornbread.

New England Honey Cornbread – makes about 8 pieces

1 C flour
1 C corn flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 T butter, softened almost melted
1/3 C sour cream
1 egg
1/4 C honey
3/4 C milk

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together until well blended. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until blended. Pour into a greased cast iron dutch oven and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, until a toothpick interted into the center comes out clean.

Ingredient origins: Beans – Georgia, Hormone-free Butter – Maine, Sustainably grown red onion – New Hampshire, Organic chicken stock – Oregon, Rosemary – unknown, Salt – unknown, Flour – Vermont, Corn flour – Oregon, Sour cream – Vermont, Honey – Massachusetts, Organic milk – Vermont